Top-ranked Poland rolls into Class D quarterfinals

Tuesday

Oct 18, 2016 at 9:35 PM

OBSERVER-DISPATCH

Freshman Leah Basel had two goals and two assists and a Poland Central girls soccer team ranked No. 1 in the Class D state poll had no trouble advancing to the quarterfinals of the Section III tournament with Tuesday's 6-0 first-round playoff win over Madison's Blue Devils.

Senior Jordan Batson also scored twice — raising her season total to 33 goals — and added an assist for the top-seeded Tornadoes, 16-1 overall and hosting Brookfield (10-5-1) in a Class D quarterfinal game at 3 p.m. Thursday. Emmalyn Smith had three goals and an assist in Brookfield's 5-2 win over Belleville Henderson.

Basel scored an unassisted goal off a deflection less than three minutes into the game, and her second goal — assisted by Batson — gave Poland a 2-0 halftime lead.

In the second half, Shiane Irwin and Riley Wisheart each had a goal and an assist. Wisheart, a freshman, scored her 32nd goal of the season on a header off a cross from Irwin about a minute into the second half.

"That really set the tone for us," Poland head coach Tom Basel said.

Junior goalkeeper Claire Lepper made three saves for the Tornadoes. The Center State Conference Division IV champions have outscored teams 39-1 during their seven-game winning streak — their lone setback was a nonleague loss to a Class C Sauquoit Valley team ranked 11th in the state.

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